The present invention relates to a method and a communication terminal for receiving and displaying electronic messages and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and a mobile communication terminal for receiving and animating electronic messages.
One of the most popular communication technologies that have been developed for mobile communications systems is text messaging. Text messaging services allow communication that is based on typed text between two or more mobile users.
The most common communication system that provides such a service is cellular telephone networks providing the short message service (SMS). The SMS allows mobile users to receive text messages via wireless communication devices, including SMS-capable cellular mobile phones. Mobile and stationary users may send an electronic message by entering text and a destination address of a recipient user who is either a mobile or a non-mobile user.
Another example for such a communication service is a mobile instant messaging (MIM) service. The MIM service allows real-time communication that is based on typed text between two or more mobile users. The text is conveyed via one or more cellular networks.
Generally, an emoticon is represented in a text format by combining the characters of a keyboard or keypad. Recent developments have been designed with the ability to allow the inclusion of icons indicative of emotions, which may referred to as emoticons, into the text. Such emoticons may include a smiling figure, a frowning figure, a laughing figure or a crying figure, a figure with outstretched arms and other figures expressing various feelings. A graphic emoticon is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal by first selecting one of the graphic emoticons, which are stored in a user's mobile communication terminal as image data. Subsequently, the selected graphic emoticon is transmitted to another mobile communication terminal using a wireless data service.
For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0101005, published May 3, 2007 discloses an apparatus and method for transmitting emoticons in mobile communication terminals. The apparatus and the method include receiving a transmission request message in a first mobile communication terminal, the transmission request message related to a first graphic emoticon and including identification information for the first graphic emoticon, identifying a second graphic emoticon according to the transmission request message, and transmitting the second graphic emoticon to a second mobile communication terminal, wherein the second graphic emoticon comprises image data in a format encodable by the second mobile communication terminal.
In addition, during the last years, standards have been introduced for services including multimedia message services (MMSS) and enhanced message services (EMSs), which are standards for a telephony messaging systems that allow sending messages with multimedia objects, such as images, audio, video, rich text etc., have become very common. The MMS and EMS allow the message sender to send an entertaining message that includes an image or a video that visually expresses his or her feelings or thoughts and visually presents a certain subject matter.
A number of developments have been designed to provide services using the MMS and EMS standards. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0121818, published Jun. 24, 2004 discloses a system, an apparatus and a method for providing MMS ringing images on mobile calls. In one embodiment, a ringing image comprises a combination of sound and images/video with optional textual information and a presentation format. The method includes receiving an incoming call from an originating mobile station; receiving an MMS message associated with the incoming call that contains ringing image data including image data and ring tone data, presenting the ringing image data to a user of the terminating mobile station, and in response to presentation of the ringing image data, receiving an indication from the user to answer the incoming call.